Obituary of Robin Gibson

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Robin Gibson, longtime resident of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, on Monday, February 22, 2021 at the age of 65 years. A private Celebration of Robin's Life will held on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 2:00pm. The service will be live streamed here on Robin's memorial page for anyone unable to attend. Robin Gibson yearned for purpose and recognition when we first met him just after he moved to Dawson Creek. He shared with us that he came to Dawson because he wanted to be left alone by the medical and social service personnel in Prince George whom he felt was trying to run his life. He was fiercely protective of his rights, opinions, his life and his choices in his life. We recognized that very early in our relationship with Robin. In those early years here in Dawson, before his circle of contacts and friends enlarged to what it has become in the last 5-6 years, he "allowed" my husband and I to help him. Often it was calls at random times to pick him up, deliver him or return him to the hospital where he often found himself dealing with symptoms of one medical concern after another. Other times it would be a place to stay temporarily as issues of power or heat occurred in his building. Sometimes it was just stopping to pick him up and take him to where he was going on cold or wet days or having him over at the holidays for his favourite treat of bacon wrapped scallops!! When we were not available, there were a few others that he would call too, in those beginning years We had the privilege to observe him grow, as one might say. Seeing him find purpose and acceptance in the community. He found a voice within himself and he garnered a respect and understanding from those in the community. There were many public events that he attended, especially if there was food involved, as that man could eat like he had two hollow legs! If he wasnt at a public event or you didn't see him walking somewhere on any given day, one would get concerned and check in with him to see if he was OK. Over the years he spoke more and more of the numerous individuals he had connected with, who helped him achieve something he desired or simply had become a reliable and appreciated source of mutual respect and interest. We watched him flourish from that first step of texting scriptures and his thoughts to those in his contact list on his phone, to a blog, to writing and publishing small booklets of his thoughts and stories, to lately as he worked on his book and became part of the writers community, both locally and internationally. We watched as a few select people knew him and watched out for him to becoming a fixture in our city, not just a man who was always walking somewhere, but one that more and more people cared for and considered his well being. More importantly we recognized his circle, of those who he called friend and those who called him a friend, got larger and larger over the 15 or so years we have known him. He became a community member that contributed to the culture of our city, not just someone who needed a community to care for him. It does my heart good in these sad days of missing and mourning the loss of Robin to remember back through his timeline and know that he did find purpose and recognition among this last community he was part of in his 65 years of life. Robins Eulogy My brother Robin is known to many of you as a writer and wise soul. In his poem, Word Pictures, he noted that celebrations of life are when strangers and friends meet to remember and look back along the road that their friend has travelled. Today we celebrate the longest road travelled by Robin. David Robin Gibson was born on November 13, 1955 in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. Our parents were David Lewis Gibson and Esther Elizabeth Gibson (nee Scott). Because our dad was called David, Robin went by his middle name. My sister Jane, born in 1953 was the oldest in our family. Peter was born in 1960 and I was born in 1967. Robins earliest years were spent in Fort QuAppelle, Saskatchewan. Our mother was a nurse who worked in the Indian Hospital in Fort QuAppelle and in the Balcarres hospital. Our father was an embalmer/funeral director/ambulance driver who ran the areas funeral home. Our larger family of aunts, uncles and cousins were in Indian Head, Moose Jaw and Morden. We almost all have an object when we are small that we hold dear. Something that gives us comfort, we play with and tell our stories to. Robins was a doll he named Dennis. Dennis got to ride in the wagon, ride on the kiddie car, be carried around and was much loved. Robin loved his kiddie car. It carried him many places like to visit the local bank just down the street or even farther, much to the chagrin of our parents. Our dad made a fenced play yard, that Jane and Robin played in, and this reined in the wanderlust. Until my sister left the gate open and the kiddie car aka getaway car was ready to roll down the street. Jane and Robin did many things together. They got their tonsils out on the same day; they had the chickenpox at the start of one summer and shared the mumps once at Christmas and then again at Easter. Our whole family has a love of the out-of-doors and nature. Jane and Robin loved to ride their bikes to go swimming at Echo Lake and see who could do handstands in the water or who could swim the farthest under the water. They would throw rocks on top of the duck weed on the outlet from the lake to see whose rock would sink or how big a rock could stay on top. They even tried to catch fish there too. In the winter they would take the toboggan to the local hill where they would slide down many times until our mothers hand knitted mitts became clogged with snow. And their galoshes too. Then they would trudge home and warm up with hot chocolate, eat sloppy Joes or canned spaghetti on toast. Jane and Robin both described how fun life was in Fort QuAppelle and how it was a time when kids were free to explore without their parents. Robin loved bike riding. And loved seeing how things worked. When the family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in early 1966, Robin saved the wrappers from popsicles to mail in for a prize. His sweet tooth got him so many wrappers he won a fancy bike. My sister thinks it had about 3 gears. His curious nature and desire to know how things worked meant he took the bike apart. Taking something apart is often way easier than putting it back together! Robin played a role in teaching my brother Peter and later me how to ride a bike. Robin and Peter would venture out to Wascana Lake in Regina. They would hike down to the lake where there was an old bridge footing. The bridge was long gone. Wascana Lake was not for swimming, instead the boys would try their hand at fishing. Peter doesnt remember catching anything, but the time was enjoyable, none the less. Time spent outside, together was a good thing. Peter also remembers playing slot cars with Robin in the basement in Regina. Robin had received a set one year, and they had many races on cold winter days. Later in his life, Robin loved to drive. And drive older cars that needed some tinkering. His love of tinkering often exceeded his ability to untinker. Robin often shared memories of visiting with cousins in Moose Jaw. Especially visiting Auntie Vi and Uncle Harold at the farm. In 1969, our family moved from Regina to Grande Prairie, Alberta. My older siblings recall it was during a record-breaking cold snap. Something about 30+ days in a row of -20 or colder temperatures! Robin and Jane both recalled how cold the long drive was from Edmonton. We lived in the Swan Motel while we waited for the moving truck to appear. Then we lived above the funeral home in a 2-bedroom apartment. My sister recalled that the boys got to have the attic room. Eventually we moved into our own house. Some memories Robin shared with me of this time included picking dandelions for 25 cents a bucket for our Mom. Driving on the country roads all over County #1 for berry icking or landscape sketching by our Mom. And bringing two garter snakes home from Dunvegan to be kept in the house as pets. Our mother was not thrilled with Dick and Tracy in the basement. Things seemed to change for our family in Grande Prairie. Perhaps it was moving so far from family in southern Saskatchewan, or perhaps it was my parents failing relationship. Robin left home when he was 16 and it was several years before he made contact again. The early lure of the road and wanderlust frequently called my brother. Robin started collecting rocks in his shoes during this time. This was a difficult part of Robins journey for our Mother. She was constantly worried about Robin. Robin likely hitchhiked all over Canada. I recall him telling my Mother and I not to pick up hitchhikers since they were not all like him. It was hard since we wanted to provide support somehow. During this period, if we received a collect call, we knew it was Robin. In the early 1980s Robin enrolled in the commercial cooking training right here at the Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek. Robin enjoyed food and it was a natural career choice. One of Robins favorite foods was creamed corn- he probably could have eaten that every day if possible. Many of you will know he had a fondness for sweets. He also was inventive with flavors. His suggestions for the chili our mother made was to put Blue Cheese salad dressing on it after it was served this is something that has been part of my sisters family since it works no matter how hot or mild your chili is. Give it a try the next time you have chili - it may become your go to too. I recall Robin making the best grilled cheese sandwiches I have ever had. I do not know his secret, but I have never had one as good as his since. I also remember Robin coming down from Dawson Creek with a fabulous chocolate cake he had made in class. And his recipe for carrot cake became a go-to recipe for my mother. Despite not being fond of vegetables, he once made a broccoli and cherry tomato plate shaped like a Christmas tree for a family buffet. His cooking career took him to forestry camps, wildfire camps, Bednesti Lake resort and maybe even on a railway. Mom and I visited Robin at Bednesti Lake in 1987. Robin had asthma and suffered many allergies as a child. The long hours of standing, and poor air quality brought on some serious health issues for Robin. In the early 1990s he was no longer able to work and was put on disability. By this time, he was living most of the time in Prince George. Robin had been sober for decades, and the Alano Club in Prince George gave him a network of like-minded people. He would arrive in Edmonton on the Greyhound bus for a visit and then be gone again a few days later. Our mother died in 1992. She left her car to Robin which helped him get around much easier. I visited Robin in Prince George in December 2005, when I had returned to living in Edmonton after 5 years in eastern Canada. We played many games of cribbage, visited his friends in some small unique stores and went to a live music event at a coffee shop. Robin had been suffering from some mini strokes for a while, and he let me go to some appointments at the Brain Injury Group with him. At some point, something happened for Robin with his medical team and he left Prince George. We had talked about his plans to go somewhere else, but he had not shared with me the challenges with his health care team. I remember calling the Alano Club in 2007 to find he wasnt there, and they didnt really know where he had gone. Someone had thought he said Dawson Creek. Robins cell phone did not work anymore so we were challenged to connect with him. Dawson Creek did not have an Alano Club so I could not make that connection. I worried about him, and whether a stroke had taken some of the memories of his family. How do you find someone who is not really missing? In August 2016, I had an opportunity to visit Grande Prairie for fun rather than work. I made the commitment to come to Dawson Creek to see if I could find Robin. I pulled up the RCMP but was told since he wasnt really missing, they couldnt give me any information. The RCMP sent me to the Nawican Friendship Centre. Sadly, they were closed for a week. I had delicious lunch in Hug a Mug and asked how to find someone. If I had been smarter, I would have said who I was looking for and saved myself a lot of grief! I headed over to the Salvation Army and had a great conversation. I think I must have been trustworthy enough, because they sent me to Mile Zero Pizza to order a pizza for Robin. Mile Zero would call Robin to pick up the pizza. This way no personal or private information would have been shared with someone outside of the Dawson Creek family. Robin didnt answer his phone at first, so I drove around Dawson Creek until Mile Zero called me to say Robin had arrived. After ~9 years a sister and brother were reunited! I learned on that day that Robin was pursuing writing and I purchased his booklets from in Mile Zero pizza. Robin noticed right away that the booklets were gone when he arrived. I returned in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to visit with Robin. He was excited to show me the many interesting spots in and around Dawson Creek. We ate at the Hug a Mug, went to a country fair, visited the wind farm, went to the Art Galleries in Dawson Creek, Beaverlodge and Grande Prairie; revisited some childhood haunts in Grande Prairie and drove to Moose Jaw Saskatchewan for our Auntie Vis 90th birthday party. I realized how much this community had embraced my brother and supported his passions for writing, community advocacy and accountability. It was exciting to connect daily on the internet and see how his writing was thriving and growing. A real highlight for both Robin and me was when he wrote on his blog site the play-by-play of my 50th birthday trip to England, Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland. We both learned new things about our family tree, and he got to share in my journey through my posts to Facebook. When Robin had to go to Vancouver for tests in 2019, I know he appreciated having medical professionals for siblings. Peter and I were able to advocate on Robins behalf relating to travel plans. Peter appreciates being able to visit with him when he was in a Vancouver hospital. Robin found being in the hospital difficult with the rules and essentially nothing to do. Peter was able to translate the medical jargon, so Robin had a better understanding of what the tests were about. Robin was thrilled that the nurses had iPads and he could continue to write while in Vancouver. As a family we are so glad that Robin found a community and a role within it. He was able to find a place where he could sit a spell, find good friends, and truly be himself without judgement. Robin was able to take out some of the rocks in his shoes while living in this community. Robin was able to develop a passion for writing and share it in the community and beyond. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For friends so wishing, donations in Robin's memory may be made to the Parkinson Society of British Columbia, 600 - 890 W. Pender Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 1J9 or the Nawican Friendship Centre, 1320 - 102 Avenue, Dawson Creek, British Columbia V1G 2C6. Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium